'Kashmiri Muslims not against yatra'

Blaming "communal forces" in Jammu for the turmoil in J&K, separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has said that Kashmiri Muslims have nothing against the Amarnath Hindu pilgrimage.Is the Kashmir issue dividing J&K? | Surfers' Response

Blaming "communal forces" in Jammu for the turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir, separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has said that Kashmiri Muslims have nothing against the Amarnath Hindu pilgrimage.

HT Image

Geelani reportedly made these remarks to spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar when they met in Srinagar on Wednesday, sources close to the hardline Hurriyat Conference leader said.

Geelani accused what he called the "communal forces in Jammu" for the present situation in the Kashmir Valley, where widespread protests the past few days have almost paralysed the state administration.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also called on Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and emphasized the need for peace and harmony in Jammu and Kashmir.

"He told the two senior separatist leaders that he favoured the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad trade and condemned the blockade of the Jammu-Srinagar highway," sources in the moderate Hurriyat said.

Jammu and Kashmir has been hit by protests and killings following the government decision to allot land in the Kashmir Valley to a board managing the Amarnath yatra - and the later move to rescind the land allotment.